Nearly Fifty Years and Counting

Nearly Fifty Years and Counting comprises essays published in the United States and Europe between 1980 and 2026. Organized into two parts and grouped into six rubrics, the collection opens with five essays on Nikolai Gogol: the first illustrates his fascination with the Baroque, the next three highlight his Ukrainian roots, and the last bridges to Part II, devoted to Vladimir Nabokov’s literary legacy. Part II consists of five thematic sections. The first examines influential figures in Nabokov’s upbringing and artistic formation, and the second traces his Russian and West European ties to the nineteenth century, in the last year of which he was born. The third section examines key aspects of Nabokov’s poetics, such as the encodement of his authorial presence, “insatiable vision,” and “dividedness.” The penultimate section offers new contexts for his novels and autobiography, and the final section addresses his extensive engagement with the visual arts.